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Shadow Halflings are the dark reflection of the halfling race, the dark secret the race keeps. One in five halflings is born as a shadow halfling. Shadow halflings lack the presence and social grace of their halfling brothers and sister, but they are unmatched in the arts of stealth. The shapers built the shadow halflings into the bloodline of the halfling race to use them as a Trojan horse. On the surface, a shadow halfling is merely a somewhat less charming halfling.

Shadow halflings are generally quiet and soft-spoken by nature. To outsiders, they appear to be the black sheep of halfling families, and in a way, they are quite literally so. Shadow halflings are quiet, but their minds are constantly scheming beneath the silence. Most shadow halflings are good at putting up a façade of stupidity or clumsiness, but they are masters of stealth and trickery, to an almost supernatural degree.

Shadow Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. Their skin lightly tan to a deep, exotic brown, and their hair comes in shades of brown and black, almost always black and worn long. They have deep brown or black eyes. Shadow Halflings of both genders are generally attractive, but lack the presence of their siblings. Shadow Halflings tend to favor bright colors and exciting patterns in their clothes, but they almost all maintain a second wardrobe of dark, practical clothes for their more subtle work. A shadow halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of her second century.

Shadow halflings may see themselves as cursed or blessed depending on the halfling caravan they’re born into. Some shadow halflings are never truly aware of their latent talents, simply believing themselves to be worse musicians than their brothers, becoming craftsmen or the like. Some halfling communities treat shadow halflings like champions and valued assets, while others see them as a burden, a secret to be hidden away and ashamed of. Most shadow halflings receive training in the arts of stealth from the shadow halflings of the previous generation. However a halfling community views their shadow halflings, their true nature is never to be revealed to outsiders.

Most shadow halflings are chaotic, with a slight tendency towards evil, though most are solidly neutral. Most use their powers for simple things, robbing here and there or pickpocketing to get their caravan a little extra gold to help out, but others get swept up and end up performing assassinations for money. Most halfling communities disapprove of this use of the shadow gift.

Shadow halflings live in halfling caravans. Virtually every family has at least one shadow halfling in their number, some with two, and others with none. Shadow halflings tend to seek one-another out, seeking common ground among their more charismatic brothers, and others to empathize with the sense of disconnection they feel.

Shadow halflings speak common and halfling, though they are known to learn many languages, some speaking dwarven or gnomish when they go about their stealthy work. Shadow halflings have also developed a secretive system of gestures and hand-signs to communicate silently, known as halfling silent.

Shadow halflings will often become adventurers, mostly rogues, ninjas, and assassins to capitalize on their stealth. There are a good number of rangers and beguilers among their numbers, however, and some choose even less typical paths. They rarely take the role of frontliner, however.

•+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength. Shadow halflings are nimble and good with their hands, but their size keeps them from being particularly strong.

•Small: As a Small creature, a shadow halfling gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than Medium characters use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.

•Shadow halfling base land speed is 30 feet

•Darkvision: shadow halflings can see in the dark out to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and shadow halflings can function just fine with no light at all.

•+1 racial bonus to saving throws. Shadow halflings are lucky creatures, which often allows them to escape the worst effects of spells and abilities.

•Silence: A shadow halfling can be supernaturally silent when he so wishes. A shadow halfling can supress or resume a supernatural effect identical to a silence spell centered on himself as a swift action. This silence effect only extends to the shadow halfling and a 5-foot-radius area around him. The halfling may only have this ability active for a number of rounds each day equal to (2 x HD) + Charisma Modifier.